Piper PA-28-180 accident near Punta Gorda, Florida, March 24, 1998
On March 24, 1998 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N8490W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Punta Gorda, Florida (Shell Creek Airpark airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 24, 1998 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Punta Gorda, Florida · Shell Creek Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N8490W · no longer on the register · serial 28-2735
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight departed with adequate fuel quantity and while flying at 2,000 feet over a grass airstrip, the CFI simulated an engine failure by reducing the throttle to idle. The student performed the emergency procedures which included applying carburetor heat, activation of the auxiliary fuel pump, and switching the fuel selector to the right tank. The student maneuvered the airplane toward the grass runway and at the approach end of the runway, was advised to go-around. While climbing between 250-300 feet, the engine quit. The student moved the fuel selector back to the left tank and engine power was restored momentarily, then the engine quit again. The CFI maneuvered the airplane to a field and after touchdown with the throttle still applied, after the nose landing gear contacted a berm, engine power was again restored. The nose landing gear then separated and the airplane came to rest. No contaminants were noted in the fuel tanks and no fuel was found in the gascolator during recovery of the airplane. No obstructions of either fuel tank vent or fuel delivery system were noted; the auxiliary fuel pump tested within limits. The engine was found to operate normally.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,520 hours in all; 348 in this make and model; 282 in the last 90 days; 130 in the last 30 days; 2,450 as pilot in command; 1,679 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,255 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 28, 1997; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A3A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PGD Punta Gorda FL at 6:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,600 ft by 110 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:48 pm from FMY, 24 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.